To develop a watershed means, conventionally, to treat this whole area in such a way so as to conserve and nurture the natural resources of the area. These natural resources chiefly include the soil and water. Therefore, under these projects, earthen, boulder or vegetative structures are erected across gullies and along contour lines, and areas are earmarked for particular land use based on their land capability classification, so as to be able to ward off soil run-off, to enhance soil moisture and to recharge and enrich underground water reservoirs.
A little before the onset of the previous decade, the concept of watershed development underwent certain structural changes so as to incorporate activities not strictly meant to preserve the ecological resources or rejuvenate the underground aquifers. These activities rather aimed at achieving all-round development of the village in question. Undertaken after most of the technical work was over, these measures aimed to ensure that the sections of the population that did not directly benefit from the watershed development programme stood to benefit in some other way.
Among others, these included setting up of women’s thrift groups and SHGs and other community institutions, providing non-farm income generating skills to the landless, taking up welfare activities like health camps, facilitating works like drinking water and approach road for the village, cleanliness drives etc. These value additions gave the watershed projects a more human and familiar face since they brought into play a better understanding of people and their lives.
This change, or rather modification, also changed the meaning of watershed project evaluation. While earlier it was a subject matter of geology and hydrology, and involved mainly soil testing, water table mapping etc, now it involved more of social sciences. Indicators changed from soil moisture content to people’s participation, equitable benefit distribution etc.
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